Archive for the ‘Commuting’ Category

I am an avid NPR and WAMU listener interested in the diverse, at times edgy and often inspiring news and information their programming provides. This programming balances my view of what is possible in the world and it continually drives home our common humanity unlike anything I find in daily local news coverage. I listen daily on my commute into and out of the office, on my lunch break on a run to the bank, even, by accident, on any given Sunday while out to the store. I find my intrigue is like one I share with good strong chocolate which I strategically store in a cool place out of frequent reach, in an attempt to minimize my consumption, only to find that I foray more than usual to my stash in search of one more invigorating bite.

Recently however I have noticed with the routine of my mornings;

waking early,
prepping myself for the day,
prepping lunch for my preschooler,
getting us dressed, breakfasted,
and out the door, on my way to the office

….before plugging into my team and our customers… I must honor my need for quiet reflection.

It’s as if all the inspiration and information I have received from my public radio listening has reached a tipping point. Over the last few weeks I have honored this need for quiet banning myself from tuning in during my morning commute which mostly follows something like…

Enter the car reach for the dial… remind myself, “Not now, maybe later.”…. I sit quietly, then… I reach again, “Ok just this once, if the story is not inspiring then I will turn it off,” which results in about five out of ten times that I actively honor my need for quiet.

In this processes of abstaining from the radio I have learned that I do so not because I am overloaded with information but because I am healthily saturated by public radio. My current need for quiet stems from my need to compress the information received, into my life. I find that I am inspired and interested in what is happening in the world. For this information to process I must make a shift from being what was an active listener and passive participant towards striking a balance between active listening and the creative application of the inspiration I receive from public radio to both my work and my community.

In the process my commute has evolved and now sounds something like… “Is this commute with the emissions, time consumption and predictable stresses of the road really in the best interest of the world, my family, my community, my health…?” “Isn’t being a stake holder in our communities what makes them livable places and should that not include a stronger element from businesses to foster work within their boundaries. In theory, doing so could free up more time for our quality of life and the life of our families providing more time for us to engage in local activities strengthen our relationships and increase the viability of the places we call home”…